Wednesday, December 31, 2014

New Years Eve lunch should be a splurge, so it's Del Frisco's Grille in Burlington for lunch on a cold but sunny day.

Corn Chowder ($7) with Crabmeat, Smoked Bacon Bits & Fingerling Potato Chips. The crab meat made it seem muddy, and it was also very sweet. Not my favorite chowder.

Ahi Tacos ($14). Tuna Tartare, Avocado, Spicy Citrus Mayo. This was pretty nice even if the bottom half was filled with the avocado. Nice and light shells and the spicy mayo was really spicy.

Obligatory Holiday Extra Extra dry Tanqueray Martini with the rocks on the side. I sat at the bar today, and it was really pleasant and even better was that I didn't get charged for the Martini, so she got a really nice tip.

Tuesday, December 30, 2014

I haven't had a good Noodle Soup in a while, so I went to Sichuan Gourmet in Billerica to have one for lunch today. Slow day today, it took until 11:45 until they had a line waiting for a table.

What can I say, the Spicy Pork Spare Ribs Noodle Soup ($8.95) is a favorite of mine and today is was as good as always but could have been spicier. Still a very nice broth with perfectly cooked noodles.

Monday, December 29, 2014

I decided to forego my normal Monday Indian lunch at Punjab in Arlington for a road trip to Singh's Cafe in Wellesley for their lunch buffet. Kind of a hike but it's a beautiful day for a drive and the gas is cheap. Well, the gas is always cheap here having lived where you pay about $7/Gallon, but it's currently cheaper than usual now. Thanks to keeping my eyes open and getting out of the way, I didn't get stopped for speeding, but the car ahead of me did.

The custom made tables are really nice with beans and spices below the glass top.

Big enough buffet to satisfy both vegetarians and the rest of us. The first dish is the Tandoori Turkey, and it's one of my favorites despite containing turkey. Moist and flavorful and it's one dish that always seems to be on the buffet.

Mixed Dal was really good, potatoes cooked in spices, Potato cake, fish, the turkey and okra. Least favorite was the okra, too mushy for me. Everything else was really delicious, nothing is really spicy, but everything is well seasoned and super flavorful. Best dishes were the mixed dal and the potato cake, so that was my choice for seconds.

The naan is included and cooked fresh and is unfortunately really really tasty and very light and comes out brushed with butter. I try to stay away from the bread so I can eat more of the good stuff, but here I must have at least one piece of naan. All of this for $9.95.

Interior in this basement restaurant is really nice, comfy chairs and it's also nice and bright. I'm glad I got here early because they got really busy really quickly.

Saturday, December 27, 2014

More Holiday splurges and again it's time for some all you can eat Sushi at Sakura in Winchester. When I got there just before noon, Jay was cleaning up after a party of six, wonder how early they got there?

Different serving platter today. Spicy and crunchy white tuna maki and then the normal tuna and salmon nigiri. One flying fish roe at the end. $14.95 for all you can eat is a pretty nice deal, but I wish I could eat more. On a side note, what IS white tuna? Well, it could be Albacore Tuna, but that's not white, or it could be Escolar, but that's not tuna, but it's white!

You also have a choice of items from the kitchen, here's the tempura Scallops and Shrimp.

Friday, December 26, 2014

Back for some more Korean delights at WooRi in Arlington on a beautiful sunny day.

Today's banchan had some interesting items notable was top right, eggplant (yum) and middle bottom, apple! The apple one was really interesting, a bit sweet and spicy and I really liked that one..

Lunch Special combo ($11) with the potato balls as a side. I didn't expect the Pork Kkass (fried pork cutlet) to be very exciting and it wasn't really and it was also way overcooked and dry. Not even the dipping sauce helped with that. The potato balls was also a bit over fried, but that just made them a bit crispier, so that was OK. The salad was a coleslaw type, and it was fresh with a very mild dressing.

Wednesday, December 24, 2014

It's Christmas Eve, and a splurge is in order for lunch, and the Capital Grille in Burlington can certainly provide that. Christmas Eve is really the big day in Sweden, today we watch Donald Duck with Friends Celebrate Christmas, a tradition that goes back to the 1950's, and then we open the presents followed by Christmas dinner where you can find things like pickled herring (ick), lutefisk (dry salted cod served with wallpaper glue), ham and other goodies.

Extra extra Dry Tanqueray Martini, straight up with a twist makes a good starter.

Lobster and Crab burger ($$) with homemade tartar sauce and Parmesan and Truffle fries. The fries were excellent and really tasty and cooked well. The burger was also very good, maybe and bit too crispy on the bottom, but lot's of crab without too many binders. The lobster part was mainly knuckle meat but delicious anyway.

I think the bar area is the best part of the restaurant, at least they have nicely dressed waitresses as opposed to the servers with their ill-fitting jackets in the dining room.

Tuesday, December 23, 2014

I was going to Lowell to pick up some Christmas food, so I decided to have lunch at one of my favorite restaurants in the area, Fishbones in Chelmsford.

I managed to get a seat at the kitchen counter and it's always interesting to watch the chefs work. It always amazes me how small the typical restaurant kitchen is. What you see in the background is the actual cooking area. I had the Sesame Yellow Fin Tuna Steak Sandwich ($11.99) cooked rare! Grilled sushi grade #1 yellowfin tuna steak, marinated in sesame oil, coated in sesame seeds and grilled to temperature. Served on a potato roll with pickled ginger, wasabi, seaweed salad, lettuce, tomato, pickle, homemade coleslaw and French fries. As usual, everything was cooked perfectly and was really delicious.

This used to be the fish market! I was told it was removed a couple of years ago, and I never noticed but I normally only go here in the summer and sit outside. It actually looks better without the fish counter present. They were absolutely packed at lunch today with people still waiting for a table when I left.

Sunday, December 21, 2014

I must admit that I'm very happy with Bonefish Grill in Burlington both for lunch and brunch. Nice place, good service and reasonable prices always make for a good meal.

Cajun Shrimp Omelet (10.50). Goat cheese, onions, sweet bell peppers + creole sauce and Potatoes Au Gratin. The omelet was filled with tasty shrimp, and the whole thing was just a delight to eat. The potatoes were, as always really tasty and the peppers and onions were cooked well but still nice and crunchy. This being the last Sunday before Christmas it didn't really surprise me that the place was almost empty.

Friday, December 19, 2014

Is Besito in the Burlington Mall an authentic Mexican Restaurant? I have no idea, and I really don't care. Is the food good and well prepared, served in a nice environment with excellent service? Yes, and what more do you need, and it's also very reasonably priced at lunch with ample portions.

You can always start off by stuffing yourself with the warm chips and an excellent salsa.

The menu has also changed a bit with more lunch choices, and the street tacos now come on either soft or crispy tortillas. This is the Street Tacos Carnitas ($10.95) on soft tortillas. Pork carnitas, organic romaine lettuce, black bean salsa, pickled red onion and queso fresco. The pork was excellent and this is a nice addition to the menu. It was a really good amount of tender pork and coupled with the included rice and beans I was stuffed. Of course, I had too many chips and salsa to start out with, but I'm not complaining. This is really a good value for the money, and the service was, as always, excellent. I wonder if that had anything to do with almost filling the place up at lunchtime today?

Thursday, December 18, 2014

The Hot & Sour soup come out smelling strongly of vinegar, and I didn't think I was going to be able to eat it but it actually starts to resemble a decent H&S Soup now. A couple slices of shiitake mushrooms helped too.

Second time for the Twice Cooked Pork ($7.95) and this time all the pieces of pork was nice and tender and the fried rice was really good. If they could just add some ham to the rice, it would be a properly fried rice. The pork was marked as spicy on the menu but seriously lacked heat. Next time I'll ask for extra spicy, no big deal. Pretty happy with my lunch today.

Wednesday, December 17, 2014

Foodwise Weston is a food wasteland, but now Dumpling Daughter has opened in a small shopping mall. It's run by the daughter of Sally Ling of the long-gone Sally Ling's restaurant on the waterfront.

It's a bright room, you order at the counter, get a number, and the food is brought out to you. Yes, #10 was me. Lots of wasted space in front of the counter and I moved my table away from the wall to get more elbow room. Of course, the line formed in front of where I was sitting. They got busy, and there was a fair amount of takeout, good for them. Food seems to come out as it's ready, I got my ramen way before the dumplings arrived.

Pan Seared Pork and Napa Cabbage dumplings ($6) was six plump and juicy dumplings perfectly fried, and they were bursting with the tasty filling, and the skins were nice and tender. The price is on par with what you pay in other restaurants.

Three Day Pork Ramen ($12). NOT the instant kind!!!!!! Classic pork broth, fresh ramen noodles, pork belly, soft egg, bamboo, red pickled ginger, kombu seaweed, scallions. Not exactly cheap but the broth was nice but could have been fattier, and there were three big slices of belly in there. The noodles were perfectly cooked, delivered fresh from Brooklyn, NY. Nice to have an accessible place where you can get a decent bowl of ramen.

This gave me an excuse to visit my former mechanics at the Boston Sportscar just up the street. They are still doing Ferraris, and you can see Michael the mechanic sitting in the middle. He has been with them since they opened. Really nice guys doing very nice work.

Tuesday, December 16, 2014

Time for some soup and wings at Simply Khmer in Lowell and it wasn't very busy today, but it's also a kind of crummy day.

This will brighten up anyone's day, Spicy Wings ($7.50). Crispy, spicy absolutely delicious wings but some looked like they had been reheated and was kind of dry. Update. After finishing the leftover wings, all were overcooked and dry but the outside was still delicious.

Kuy-Tiev Special regular size ($5.95) is a big bowl of Rice noodles, beef, meatballs, seafood, bean sprouts, cilantro, scallion, in house broth. The broth was a bit weak today, but the noodles were nice and firm. A couple of fresh shrimps, fake crab, some slices of fish cake and meatballs. The meat could have been more tender, but overall it's a decent lunch, especially for the price. Service can be spotty but was very pleasant today.

Saturday, December 13, 2014

I again needed to visit Whole Foods so I combined that with lunch at FuGaKyu in Lynnfield.

The skating on the commons was in full swing on a day that has gone from snow to rain to snow and then to full sunshine.

My normal window table had a nice view of the skating rink. Soup and salad arrived promptly and even if I'm not a fan of miso soup, this one isn't bad.

Katsu Curry ($12.00) is a big bowl of the delicious Japanese curry and this time ordered with pork katsu instead of the chicken cutlet. Is there anything more boring than chicken? Yes, turkey breast. Anyway, this was as good as ever. You do get a spoon so that the last drop of the curry can be consumed.

Friday, December 12, 2014

I can't wait to eat my way through the lunch menu at WooRi in Arlington, and today it was time for a stew. I'm not that familiar with Korean food apart from the Kalbi, Bibimbap and Bulgogi etc, so there is a lot of new and interesting stuff here to try.

Today's selection of banchan, top left was potato, and I wasn't too excited about that but the radish, bottom left, was good as was the rest of them. The white kimchi, top middle was very good.

Kimchi Stew ($10) was HOT temperature wise, you can see the broth bubbling away. Served with rice on the side. Interesting dish, but I liked it a lot despite it being a bit sour. It also had some pork hiding in there. I must admit that I really stuffed myself today but eating this with the rice was delightful.

Thursday, December 11, 2014

I ended up at Snappy Pattys in Medford on a day that started with a visit to the dentist, then turned into snow flurries and then no parking at my first choice for lunch.

Another picture of the interior just because I can, and I really like this hip little place. They filled up nicely at lunchtime today.

French Burger ($8.50). Brie Cheese, Tarragon Mayo & all the trimmings. I ordered it medium, and it arrives perfectly cooked. The fries are outstanding, and I could eat them alone for lunch. The bun is way too dense to be enjoyable, but I happily skipped it so I could finish the fries instead. Prices for the flatbreads on the menu has been adjusted down, not often you see that but they seem to listen to their customers. Hopefully, they will listen to the comments about the bun too.

Wednesday, December 10, 2014

Is it worth the drive to Pho 88 in Chelmsford for their Pho? It used to be but now with Cilantro in Woburn doing a very decent Pho I'm not sure. Seems most single guests get seated in the bar area, and it's a bit dark and gloomy in there.

I ordered the #14, XE LUA ($8.95). Extra large Beef Noodle Soup. "Our largest bowl of our most popular Beef (Bo) Noodle Soup combining rare Beef, well-done Brisket, Beef Flank, Tendon and Tripe". As you can see, I got everything, and the picture doesn't really show the size of the bowl, but it's big. The broth was good, but not outstanding and the noodles had a nice texture. The tripe was very soft, I like a bit more texture but overall, again a very nice lunch. The chili oil condiment was mostly chili peppers and lacked the oil, but the pickled jalapenos had a nice bite. They are very busy at lunchtime, and the place was packed.

Tuesday, December 9, 2014

I was going to go to Chelmsford for some Pho today but the weather was so miserable with heavy rain and sleet so I decided on Bonefish Grill in Burlington instead since they are practically next door.

Soup and Salad (8.5) used to be 6.5, but things change fast here. Caesar Salad and the Clam Chowder was both really nice with a garlicky, creamy dressing and a thick chowder with lots of clams and bacon. A very nice lunch on a miserable day.

Friday, December 5, 2014

I couldn't wait to get back to try some other lunch specials at WooRi Korean Fusion Grill in Arlington. Not very busy at lunchtime today but all the other customer were Korean.

Today's selection of banchan! The white kimchi (top left) that are made fresh daily by the grandmother in the kitchen was especially good.

Lunch Special Bibimbap ($11) with Bulgogi was a big bowl of beef, veggies and rice with a fried egg on the side.

Add soy/sesame oil mix and chili sauce and mix the whole thing up and you have a delicious meal. The soy mix gives you salt, and the chili gives you whatever heat level you desire. It was big enough that I got leftovers but I also finished most of the banchan. They now have free wi-fi.